Excuse Yourself from Unfinished Homework
Ideally, you will always be ready for class and have your homework completed. Sometimes, however, life gets in the way and you aren’t prepared. There are several methods for developing an excuse to give your teacher for why you don’t have your homework ready, ranging from honest to deceptive.
Contents
Steps
Inventing an Elaborate Excuse
- Make invented excuses sound as plausible as possible. If your only option seems to be making up a more elaborate excuse—or if you just want to be daring—do so carefully. Many common excuses, like “my dog ate my homework,” are familiar to teachers and they will not believe them. It is difficult to outsmart a teacher who has years of experience working with students and their excuses. Teachers are familiar with many excuses, and can often recognize outlandish ones as untrue.
- Mutilate your assignment so you teacher can't tell you didn't actually do the work. Turn in the illegible or destroyed assignment, so that you can show your “proof” of your excuse.
- Crumple and tear a paper assignment. Then you can tell the teacher that it flew out the window and got run over or trampled on.
- Smear dirt and water on your assignment and claim it fell in a puddle.
- Spill something dark (like juice or ink) on the assignment so that it is illegible.
- Make an excuse based on technological malfunctions.
- For instance, if you have to save work to a USB drive, you can claim to have a problem with the file.
- If you are asked to email or otherwise electronically send a homework file, you can “accidentally” send a different assignment, or the “wrong” draft (which could have just your name and the first part of the assignment, for instance). You might even be able to purchase corrupted files.
- Be aware that your teachers can be tech-savvy and know all of these tricks, so you might have to get creative.
- Try a less inventive excuses that might still work, like: your homework fell out of your bag, you grabbed the wrong folder at home, you had a funeral to go to.
- Fake it, when possible. For instance, with math work you can write random figures or answers to make it look like you did the work. This might take a lot of time, however, and if your teacher looks closely you might get caught.
- Avoid excuses that will backfire on you. For instance, if you tell your teacher that you forgot your homework in your locker, he or she can just ask you to go and get it, and you will be caught.
Buying Time and Stretching the Truth
- Make it seem like you did the work on time, even if you didn't.
- If the missed homework is for a class late in the day, you might be able to do the work before school, during another class, or during lunch or a break.
- You can hand in the wrong assignment—such as one from another class—or an old one from the same class. By the time your teacher notices the mistake, you will be able to complete the real homework, or just turn it in the next day and say you are sorry about the mix-up.
- Copy answers from a friend so you have something to turn in. Make sure your friend is ok with helping. This also only works for assignments where it is expected that students will have the same or similar answers. In some schools, even copying something like homework can merit a suspension. Remember to evaluate the situation and make a good decision as to whether or not you will copy homework off of a peer.
- Claim to be sick. Know that in many cases, you’ll need a written excuse from a doctor or clinic to prove to your teacher that you had to seek medical care, and weren’t able to complete your homework.
- Ask a parent to write an excuse for you.
- A dangerous move, you can forge a note from a parent explaining why you couldn't do your homework.
- If you decide to forge one, be warned that your teacher might know it’s a fake. If you are caught, you face punishment from both your parents and teacher.
Telling the Truth
- Try being honest. It’s best to simply tell the truth, and let your teacher know why you weren’t able to complete your homework. A sincere apology can go a long way.
- You might say something like "I am really sorry, but I got behind on things and wasn't able to finish my homework. Could I be excused just this once? I'll turn it in tomorrow and I won't be late again."
- Keep things simple and direct, rather than annoying your teacher with long, rambling excuses.
- Take responsibility for your lack of preparation. Admit that you did not complete the work, and accept blame rather than putting it off on someone or something else.
- This means saying something like: "I know there's no excuse, and I accept full responsibility. I should have done my work. I'm sorry that I'm not prepared, and it won't happen again."
- Doing so will display maturity and your teacher might respect your honesty.
- Think of legitimate reasons why you could not do the work. You will need something more than “I forgot” to convince your teacher.
- Perhaps you are overworked and stressed (this is especially persuasive at exam time).
- If circumstances beyond your control, like an illness or death in the family, have prevented you from doing your work, say so.
- You can also explain that you didn’t understand the assignment, or struggled with it, or felt rushed, and needed to give it more time.
- Remember that your teacher is busy, too. Try to say in advance that you were not able to do your homework.
- Your teacher is more likely to accept the excuse if you don’t spring it on him or her at the last minute.
- You might also be able to ask for an extension so that you can turn the homework in later.
- Know your teacher’s personality, and how flexible and forgiving he or she is. When you talk to your teacher, look sad, serious, agitated, etc. depending on your excuse.
Tips
- The best approach is to try to do your work on time rather than be tempted by an excuse. Don’t attempt to make excuses too often. This way, when you actually need to use one, your teacher is more likely to accept it.
- Turn in your work, even if you have to make an excuse and submit it late.
- If you are able to do any of your homework, even a small amount or poor quality work, consider turning it in anyway. Having something prepared can be better than having nothing, and sometimes teachers will give you partial credit for partial work. You can also explain to your teacher that you would like to do a better job and turn it in later, if you want.
- If you did the work, but forgot to turn it in, try claiming you did the work to your parents and then turn it in the next day if your teacher allows it.
- Don't mess up your excuse when you say it because that is a big sign you are lying.
- Do your homework in the morning when you arrive before school starts.
- If you have a period that has free time such as study hall, intervention or just some time when your teacher has nothing for you to do, finish your work then.
- Never lie that you did your work because then she will know that you didn't want to do your homework.
- Don't rely on excuses for your homework all the time. Save them for when you need it, so your teacher is more considerate. Also you could act annoyed with yourself so that the teacher develops more sympathy for you.
- If necessary, practice your excuse on a friend or to yourself. This way, you can keep your story straight.
- You could also act very busy, perhaps like you are filling out a homework planner and you forgot to put the work in the bin when you were supposed to.
Warnings
- Be prepared to face the consequences if you get caught for using a deceptive excuse. Talk to your teacher in a mature way, explaining that you have a problem with procrastination, or feel overworked, or struggled with the assignment, etc.
- Try not to lie, a bad conscious can easily come from repetitive lying.
- If you get caught lying, it may lead to severe consequences with your teacher, parents, or friends.
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